Newsweek’s #MuslimRage Misfire

Newsweek’s latest attempt to gin up attention and traffic with controversial covers was posted online today–an all caps “Muslim Rage” headline, almost as big as the magazine’s logo, illustrated by a photo of men in religious garb with contorted faces and fists.

In an apparent miscalculation, Newsweek tried to capitalize on their edgy cover by inviting a conversation on Twitter with the suggested hashtag #MuslimRage.

Well, the hashtag caught on, but not for the serious discussion of Middle-Eastern politics and policy that Newsweek no doubt intended. The tweets are mainly borderline offensive jokes and sarcastic references to Muslim culture. However, the tweets are coming fast (and dare we say furiously?), and if even some of those translate into clicks for Newsweek/The Daily Beast, it’s probably provoking the opposite of rage from the magazine’s infamously attention-seeking Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown.